Tooth-brush



M. T. HOLLIDAY.

TOOTH BRUSH. APPLlCATlON HLED MAR. 30, 191B- RENEWED APR. 24, 1919.

Patented Nov. 25 1919.

MIN OR '1. HOLLIDAY, OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA.

TOOTH-BRUSH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

Application filed March 30, 1918, Serial No. 225,809. Renewed April 24, 1919. Serial No. 292,421.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MINOR T. HOLLIDAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bozeman, in the county of Gallatin and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements .in Tooth- Brushes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a brush of the rotary type and particularly to a tooth brush in which the brush head revolves so as to brush the teeth vertically or up and down as science has found to be the preferred method.

The aim of the invention is to generally improve the construction of abrush of this kind; provide one of such form that the bristles may effectively extend between the teeth during a cleansing operation; and particularly one having the spring and gearing for imparting rotary motion to the brush head, employing a rack bar pivoted to a depressible operating bar so. that the rack bar need not move longitudinally of the brush, and the operating bar movable longitudinally, of the brush instead and at one end slidably connected to the brush in the particular manner hereinafter described and claimed.

Servient objects will appear as the following description progresses, being taken in connection with accompanying drawings, illustrating one preferred embodiment and wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tooth brush constructed in accordance with my invention; V

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the im proved tooth brush; 1 Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on the line H of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view of the tooth brush from the handle end, showing the operating member depressed and its normal position suggested by dotted lines; l

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the tooth brush on an enlarged scale, particularly illustrating the means of connection between the operatin member and the handle.

eferring specifically to the drawings, the brush head comprises bristles or tufts 8 which extend from a cylinder 9 of celluloid orother suitable material. It will be noticed that this brush head has a substantially solid peripheral brush surface and a substantially solid brush surface at one end. In any suitable manner, the sleeve 9 or other form of brush head which may be employed, is .fastened to a rod or shaft 10.

Said shaft 10 is rotatably mounted in a casing 11, being held in place by means of a washer or disk 12 which engages one end wall ofthe casing and by means of a spur gear wheel 13, preferably removably keyed to the shaft 10 and which abuts another wall of the casing as shown in Fig. 2.

Washer 12 and the gear wheel 13, therefore mount the shaft and brush head against longitudinal displacement, but removably, so that the brush head or brush head and shaft, may when desired be inspected, repaired, discarded or replaced.

At the brushing end, the handle 11 has a guard at 14, which extends over the brush, and in use, engagesthe gums to avoid undue contact with the bristles. In some instances, the brush head may be loosely mounted on the rod 10 and to this end, a lug 15 is formed integral with the guard 14, and depends therefrom so as to overlap the brush head as shown in Fig. 2 and prevent longi tudinal movementthereof in one direction. The disk 12 and adjacent wall of the handle will prevent longitudinal movement of said brush head in the opposite direction.

Gear wheel13 is turned so as to rotate the brush head, through sliding movement of a bar or rack 16 having teeth meshing with teeth of this gear wheel. This rack 16 is preferably pivoted to a normally inclined bar or operating member 18., whose upward movement is limited by its engagement with an inclined Wall 19 of the handle. Said handle at its operating end is cut away to provide a recess 20 into which the 'bar 18 may be depressed and into a recess 21, deeper than the recess 20 and with which the recess 20 communicates. The inclined. wall 19 and the recess 20 lead to a further recess 22, whose base wall coincides with that of recess and which has a restricted entrance at 23 and a vertically disposed. stop wall'at 2 1. I

t will be noted that the operating member 18 has an arcuate or otherwise curvedportion 25, at the free end-of which, is bent into a lug :26. In mounting the operating trance 23 and past the waLllLZl, whereupon the inherent resiliency of the portion 25 .will restore the portion to normal shape so that the operating member cannot easily be lug2 6. In its depressed position, the operatwithdrawn fromthe recess 22' and especially will not accidentally become detached in view of the fact that the lug '26 will engage the Wall Qtnpon movement of the 'operat ing member away fromthe brush head.

An Lshaped closure is provided for the recess 21 having afverti'cal wall 27 to serve as one end of said recess and l'iaving a foot 28 riveted 'orotherwise fastened tothe handie 11 as at '29. An expansive coil spring is employed to norma-llymaintain the operating member 18 raised or in the position shown in Fig. 2 and to restore it to that position after depression. This spring is indicated at 30 and is fastened in place in any suitable manner. For instance, it may be soldered as at 31 to the operating member 18 and as at 32 to the foot 28. Operating member 18 may be bent downwardly into a guard 33 to provide a smo'othsurfa'ce at the outer terminal of the operating member and also to avoid contact of the operators hand with the springBO.

It will be understood that in use, the brush head is used for the 'same purposes as the present brush heads of tooth brushes. One, hand of theoperator grasps "the handle 11 and the'operating member 18, alternately closing and opening the hand so as to depress the. operating member 18 against the tension of spring 30am then release it so that the spring 30 may restore it tov normal position for the next depression. During this movement of the operating member 18, the bar or rack 16 Slides vertically, but not horizontally, turning the gear wheel 13,the shaft 10 and accordingly the brush head. As rack 16 moves downwardly, the operating member 18 of course slides into the :re cess 22 toward the brush head. Upward move1nent of the operating member, cannot move the bar 16 longitudinally nor displace the member, in view of the fact :that the wall24 is in the path ofinovement of the ing member 18 is disposed in the recess-20 as suggested by Figs. 2 and 7. I

I might mention the fact that the handle .11 I may be made of an'y suitable .niaterial but that I preferably desire to make it from celluloid inasmuch as it is a white material and can be used advantageously from the standpoint of ease and cost .of manufacture. Changes in the details of construction may they fall within the terms of the appended claims.

. I claim '1. A motive apparctus having a handle, turnable driven means having an operating member movable-transversely thereof, and

beresorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention provlded means to mount the operating member for sliding movement longitudii'rally of the han- "dle during its transverse movement.

2. A motive apparatus having a handle, a bar, an 'operatmg member to which the bar is pivoted, depressible to move the bar transversely of the handle, driven. means rotatable through said transverse movement, and means to mount the operating member for sliding movement longitudinally of the handle during its transverse movement.

3. Amotlve apparatus hav ng a handle,

rotatable driven means comprising a de.

said handle having a wall, driven means 8 having anoperatin'g member, said operating member extending "past said wall and'movable longitudinally relatively thereto, and

means on the memberto abut the wall to prevent displacement ofithe member. 3 r

'5. A motive apparatus having a handle, said handle having a wall and restricted passage-way to 'the"wall, turnable driven means having an operating member, said member being compressible to permit passage through the restricted passageway, and a lug on the compressible portion opposite said wall, said wall being in the path ofthe movement of the lug to prevent accidental retraction of "the operating, member through the passageway. I

6. A motive apparatus having a handle, a driven shaft ournaled in the handle, said handle being-out away, aogear -wheel-disposed in said cut-awayportion and fixed on the shaft, said handle having an inclined wall at the cut-away portion, a recess to which the wall .leads, the handle having a stop wall within the recess and a.-restricted V, passageway to the recess," a rack bar having teeth in mesh 'withthose'of thegear wheel, an operatingmember, said rack bar being pivoted to the operating member, a closure member for one end of the cut-awayportion; means to fasten t Closure member to the handle, a spring secured to :-said closure member and to the operating member urging the operating member into engagement with the inclined Well, said member having a compressible portion to permit passage of one end thereof through the restricted passageway, and a lug Within the recess extending from the compressible portion, said Well of the recess lying in the path of movement of the lug to prevent retraction of the operating member from the recess.

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

MINOR T. HOLLIDAY. Witnesses:

BEN H. CHESTNUT, R. W. HOLLIDAY. 

